War damage remains at Syria’s Saint Simeon monastery

A French archaeological delegation has inspected Saint Simeon monastery in northern Syria to assess damage from war, looting, illegal excavations and neglect, and to consider what restoration work can begin.

The fifth-century monastery and its church are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes hundreds of abandoned ancient villages in northern Syria, often called the dead or forgotten cities.

Archaeologist Micheline Kurdi, a French-Syrian researcher who wrote her doctoral thesis on the monastery complex, documented the condition of the ruins and said the first quick interventions were being planned. She said the southeastern part of the monastery had suffered irreparable damage, while the church was still standing and in good condition.

At the site, cracked arches and partly collapsed stone walls were visible, while the monks’ living quarters remained intact.

Site director Abdel Jalil Arabi said the monastery had been affected by looting, illegal excavation, military use and neglect, and had been controlled by different armed groups during the war. He said an airstrike hit the site in 2016, and that it was further damaged by a major earthquake in 2023. He estimated that 30 to 40 percent of the site had been damaged, including the collapse of the western arch and its columns.

Arabi said the base of Saint Simeon’s column remains, but the rest is scattered and authorities will try to rebuild it. The monastery, which includes one of the oldest major churches in Christianity, was built around the column where Saint Simeon is said to have sat for years in prayer.

Jean-Baptiste Faivre, France’s charge d’affaires in Syria, said the site was important for Syria’s past and future. He said there would be cooperation between Syria’s Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums and French cultural institutions to help restore and develop the site.

Vincent Gelot of the French Catholic organisation Oeuvre d’Orient said restoration would be carried out with donor support and partners including the French Embassy and the Aliph Foundation, which works to protect heritage in war-affected countries. He said he hoped tourists and pilgrims would one day return to the site.